


Demon Days

by Luxillianite



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Modern Day Demon AU, demon!michael
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-26
Updated: 2015-03-26
Packaged: 2018-03-19 18:46:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,408
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3620373
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Luxillianite/pseuds/Luxillianite
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Michael is protective of his boys, to the point that he unwittingly reveals exactly what he is to a certain rose loving Lad.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Demon Days

Michael had always known what he was, it had never been something his family hid from him. The day he could understand exactly what a ‘demon’ was they had explained it. It was just another talk in his life like ‘the birds and the bees’. It had been a fact and Michael had grown up with that knowledge the way any other child would grow with knowing their hair was curly or their skin was a certain color.

Being a demon didn’t mean all that much, a few extra precautions for certain actions and a few less for others maybe, and apart from a bit of special schooling it didn’t come up in Michael’s life until he was thirteen. At that age the exact nature of his demonic lineage came into play and who would have thought being a creature of wrath would get him into trouble.

His mother had said it was natural for everything to be acting up at his age with so many hormones acting up he was expected to act out. So when Michael got into fights with students and near screaming matches with adults and was sent home with various notes and write ups they didn’t scold him and just tried to find techniques to keep him calm and maintain. At fifteen they couldn’t ask him to just maintain any more as at fifteen Michael had his first transformation.

They said it sometimes happened that one of demonic blood would experience a transformation in their lifetime, it was often viewed by communities with great interest of pride. Turnings didn’t happen at fifteen though, a full transformation never happened at fifteen today, but that had been the case with Michael. In the heat of an argument, the dead center of a confrontation with a pair of teenagers who had backed him into an alley, something had snapped within the boy. He had described it as a melting pot having been kicked over and sending the molten slag spattering up the walls. Everything had just been a mess of sparks and heat and pain and noise in the moment. He could faintly remember the brief agony of his skin splitting and bones shifting but he was so far gone it hadn’t mattered. Michael still wasn’t sure if he had blacked out because of the pain or instinct or rage but when he had woken up he was kneeling in a gory mess of what were once his aggressors. Covered in blood, still reeling from his physical change, and in a state of shock Michael had blearily dialed his parents. It had taken him almost five minutes to work with his state of mind and claws before he got the number but he had managed it and asked for his father to pick him up.

It was a small miracle that he hadn’t been found in the time he waited but the only one to come across him was his father who looked on the verge of horror and pride at viewing the monster of his son and the mess that coated him. He tended to Michael, snuck him home and let the boy clean up while he and his wife worked out what to do.

Thankfully the remains of the corpses had been found the following day and it had caused enough of a stir to scare parents in the whole city and so when Michael’s parents immediately withdrew him to ‘home school’ it didn’t come as a shock. He was just one of several at the time.

After that point he received a good deal of specialized schooling on his blood. Apparently he was a special case, with being of such an emotionally volatile lineage it already meant that his power was tied with strong feelings. Mix that with the fact that his power was closer to the surface than others and you have a formula that results in a transformation at fifteen and Michael having to be more aware of his condition than he had ever cared to be in the years prior.

It was an awareness that became easier in the years following. With awareness came a level of control and with control Michael had not had an incident like the first in years. It’s not to say he never turned again, no he had had quite a few of those and they had only become painful through the years as he forced them down until he was tucked away in his home or out of the city. Then the horns and spines and claws would tear through his flesh with a vengeance and spite him for every minute he denied his nature. He simply hadn’t made a bloody mess of anyone and, of that, he was proud.

No murders, no mess, a basic control of some minor power he could summon at will, and all he had to deal with was the searing agony of repressed transformations. It wasn’t a bad trade off but it was damn annoying at times. Michael couldn’t argue with his life though. He was stunned his natures had landed him a job, and one of the best he might add. He got to roar his lungs out whenever he wanted and was paid to do it while playing video games. It was a dream job with a wonderful group of coworkers that had become friends and family if not a bit more.

They were Michael’s closest companions and he cherished every day he had with them. They made the dream job forever a dream, they made him happy, and that meant the control he had over himself came easier. They meant the world to him and so it came as no surprise when he felt strongly about wanting to keep his boys safe.

Really it had taken him almost a month not to bristle when the other Rooster Teeth staff poked fun at Gavin so he couldn’t even pretend that he never had the inclination to protect them, what had stunned him was the ferocity that accompanied that urge and just how it came out.

Mostly it showed in little ways. When Jack was being hassled by an obnoxious fan at a con Michael had felt his fangs slip out and cut into his tongue. His yelp had drawn Jack’s attention and subsequently saved him from the harassment by tending to Michael. Another time had cropped up when a bar goer had gotten snippy with Gavin and Michael’s eyes had flashed in a way that would put dragons to shame. It had startled the man and sent him barreling off in a stagger. When Gavin had looked back the eyes had already reverted and he blew it off as drunken stupidity.

It was like that for them all, little defensive displays that went away in a moment and could be controlled easily. He never thought it would escalate to anything more, but then he never thought someone would seriously try to harm one of his boys.

"Thanks for letting me crash here tonight, man." Michael dropped his bag by the bedroom door, freeing himself of the weight to stretch and allow his back to pop and release it’s tensions.

"It’s no problem." Ray sat heavily upon the couch and stretched out upon the comfortable furniture. "You looked like you were falling asleep on the drive here."

The ginger chuckled and ran a hand through his mop of hair. They had just returned from a convention mere minutes ago and such events took a lot out of everyone and this one was no different. So when Ray offered a kind invitation to stay at his place he could not have agreed fast enough and was thankful for the offer as he was nearly dead on his feet by the time they reached the door.

"Go ahead and crash on the bed dude. I don’t want you passing out on the floor."

"Are you sure?" Michael leaned on the wall, lifting a brow at Ray. "I can just take the couch you know."

"Yeah but I’m not tired yet. I’m gonna stay up and watch some stuff or play some games. Go ahead and take the bed."

He was to tired to argue and with a muttered thanks and wish good night Michael staggered into the bedroom. He only shed enough clothing to be comfortable before collapsing upon the covers and immediately falling asleep.

It felt like he was out for only moment when his eyes shot open. Rubbing the last of the hazy shadows away and looking to the clock by his side spoke to the fact that he had been out a good few hours though. He could only wonder what noise it was that woke him at this hour and immediately had to wonder if Ray was still awake or had just fallen off the couch in his sleep.

Both were likely but if the other man had fallen that meant Michael should at least check on him. Lifting himself up to sit he made no rush of getting up until he heard a muffled commotion and another clatter. There was more than one voice, and the one he had recognized sounded panicked. Someone had broken in. Ray was in trouble.

With that in mind Michael didn’t waste a moment in standing from bed, his eyes already flashing as he made his way towards the door. He didn’t bother to hide his steps but even without the caution he managed to take the intruder by surprise.

The man stood over Ray, gun in hand and leveled at the Achievement Hunter. Ray seemed intact though was already sporting a blooming bruise on his face from being struck. That sight alone was enough to set Michael off but with the added threat of the gun sealed this man’s fate. He would end here tonight.

All that time of pinning up his natural impulses and reactions had made him almost forget how fluid a transformation could be. The pain was brief and ignored in favor of the wash of molten slag that cascaded through him just like his first night. He lunged.

—-  
Ray sat against the wall, having retreated to the far edge of the room as the thing that had been Michael tore into the would be criminal. He tried to drown out the crunching of bone that rang out in place of screams, something that had swiftly been taken care of when his windpipe had been crushed.

Swallowing hard he attempted to not look at the man being turned into a rag-doll by the beast. The… thing was massive. Only a handful of inches taller than Michael normally was it made up for height in sheer muscle. Every banding and layer of the sinew was taut beneath the skin and shone through in startling detail with every motion. Ragged horns curved up from the temples while rough plates jutted from the back. Fingers ended in blackened claws and what skin that did show from beneath clothing was dappled in grey.

The sight was surreal but as the thing dropped the now limp corpse and turned liquid silver eyes upon him everything felt to solid. This thing was Michael but the Michael he knew didn’t kill men with the flick of his wrist and didn’t have a set of horns and slitted eyes. His Michael was threatening out of necessity or as a joke. He didn’t fear his Michael like he feared this creature.

As the monster neared him Ray drew further into himself, accepting death the moment he saw razor tipped paws stop upon the floor before him. With his head tucked beneath the pathetic protection of his arms and eyes screwed shut Ray waited for the blow to come and prayed that it would be a quick end. The floor gave a groan as the creature’s weight shifted. He could feel the immense warmth given off by it before he was swept up in strong arms and plunged straight into the heart of the furnace.

With a brief moment of panic he expected his spine to be snapped or have the massive fangs bury within his shoulder but when the beast did not move and a minute turned to two Ray found his rapid heartbeat slowing.

He could register, now, that the grip was careful. The claws he could feel against his skin did not angle to puncture it and though he could feel the warmth of breath against his shoulder it was never anything more than that. He was being held, protected, that was all.

"M-Michael…?" Ray ventured to try calling out to his friend, banish the remainder of his fears that this was just some nightmare beast and his best friend was gone to some other force.

The creature shifted and let out a rumble of acknowledgement, it’s head lifting to allow pewter eyes to meet wide chocolate orbs. A set of heavy claws moved from his back and brushed across the spot that the would be robber had struck him. The touch caused him to wince and at that Michael snarled and once more wound him up in an embrace.

"I’m fine." Ray was quick to assure, hesitantly patting his friend upon the shoulder. "I’m fine… thanks to you."

There was another low growl before Michael untangled from him at last. With what sounded like the grating of metal he at last spoke.

"Get my phone. Dial Gus. Tell him I need a favor."

The voice was so deep and jagged and different from Michael’s usual tone that it took Ray a moment to process the order but as he did he had to wonder just why it was Gus he was meant to call. He didn’t feel like questioning Michael in this state though and simply moved to oblige the order, catching sight of the beast that was his friend move towards the door and set it right.

The call was quick and filled with muffled curses and shuffling before it ended and left Ray to return to the living room where Michael lay sprawled upon the floor, calmly resting on his stomach. The dappling about his skin had faded and the claws upon his hands and feet had shortened while the spines upon his back and horns at his head still stood as tall as they had when they first appeared.

"I called him." Ray said, knowing that fact was obvious. It drew a hum from Michael who turned his dulling gaze back up to the bronze man.

"Good. It’ll take him a few minutes for him to get over here."

His voice still rang with a baritone but was smoother than before. Ray just nodded and stood in the archway of the living room. He was unsure of what to ask, if anything, and unsure of how to broach the subjects that came to mind.

"Sit down man, everything’s fine." Michael instructed and Ray moved to comply after a moment, scoffing beneath his breath.

"Yeah it’s totally fine. You just turned into a monster and killed a guy in my home. That’s fine."

The comment was heard and Michael just sighed.

"I’m not a monster… I’m a demon."

"Okay sure like that makes it better? What the hell Michael is there a difference?! You just turned into some THING and KILLED a guy in my house and now you’re sitting around like nothing happened while you’re covered in spikes and shit! You have fucking horns!"

Ray was never the type to yell but as shock wore away the full scope of the last few minutes hit him and he was understandably disgruntled. At his comments Michael looked almost hurt and as he sat up his shoulders sagged.

"Yes there is a difference. A monster doesn’t care about what it does or who it hurts but I do." He explained gently.

Ray bit his lip, attempting not to let the wash of guilt for upsetting Michael dampen his fire.

"Whatever dude just still… what the hell? How has this not come up before? Why haven’t you just gone rage beast around the office? Why the hell did I have to call Gus?! Is he one too? Is the whole office just secretly some fucking demon cult I didn’t know about?"

"Christ Ray, calm down." The monstrous young man held his hands up in an attempt to placate his friend. "If you keep spitting things out I can’t answer them."

With a huff Ray quieted and waited for Michael to continue.

"Alright. I do have some control of it unless I completely lose my shit. That only happens now if I’m threatened seriously or…well what happened here. It’s a defensive thing. Gus is the only other kin I know about in the office and he sniffed me out first. He knows the community better and how to deal with…" He gestured a hand back towards the corpse.

"Okay. Okay. So you and Gus are some demon things. Are we talking old fire and brimstone things that eat souls and damn people?"

The remark actually brought Michael to laugh a little.

"No we don’t eat souls. Most of us don’t. We’re just old world creatures that grew into the modern life like anything else. And just because that fucking shity book talks about demons it doesn’t know shit."

By now Ray had calmed down and let out a huff of amusement. For several long moments he sat in silence, running a hand through his hair and rubbing at his neck before speaking again.

"Hey sorry I snapped. You really did save my ass back there."

"It’s nothing." Michael smirked up at Ray, a hint of fang showing in the expression. "I’m not gonna just let some busta rough up one of my boys without making him pay."

The dark haired man smiled in return, jumping when a set of vicious raps came at the door. He glanced to the barrier and then to Michael, only moving to answer it at his nod, and he wasn’t surprised to see Gus’ sour expression on the other side.

"Hey Ray." The older man swept into the apartment with the greeting and took in the scene of the corpse, the state of the home occupant, and the demon sitting quietly on the floor. "Well fuck. Can’t say I didn’t expect this but I thought it’d be sooner."

"Yeah yeah yeah." Michael huffed and rubbed at his horns. "This wouldn’t have happened at all but the guy hurt Ray."

"And we all know how you are with your boyfriends." Gus retorted as he stepped around the body. He plucked a bag from within his jacket, working on rolling the hunk of dead flesh into it.

Michael just mocked him lightly while Ray lifted a brow at the comment before he spoke up.

"So… I’m not going to ask what you plan on doing with that but what about me? Am I going to have to get mind wiped or relocated or something because I know about you guys?"

"No, that’s stupid." Gus replied, zipping up the bag. "Just don’t go around telling people and it won’t be a problem. Michael, you think you’ll be good by morning?"

"Dunno. I kind of went all out on this."

"Alright, you’re sick until Wednesday." Hefting the bag over his shoulder Gus nodded to the two Lads and made his way out with only a muttered good bye. As the door closed behind him it left the apartment in a momentary silence until Ray spoke.

"What does he mean by ‘you’re sick until Wednesday’?"

Michael hauled himself off the floor and settled upon the couch, shrugging in reply.

"Whenever I do something like this," He gestured to himself. "It’s hard for me to turn back right away so I have to wait for it to wear off naturally."

"So… you going to crash here until it does?"

"I can sneak home if you don’t want me here."

The younger man settled upon the couch by his friend, lifting his shoulders in a shrug.

"Well, I figure if you’re trusting me with this big secret of yours I should know as much as I can about it. It’ll keep you from being bored of out your skull on your time off anyway."

Michael grinned and relaxed back into the couch, patting Ray upon the shoulder.

"Thanks man, it means a lot.”


End file.
